Mr and Mrs Black
by Aleatoire
Summary: Nothing could ever fix our broken hearts completely, but we would try our best to be each other’s comfort. JakeXLeah. Companion fic to Mr. and Mrs. Cullen.


**This will be emotional to write, but I felt I must tell his story too. Companion fic to Mr. and Mrs. Cullen. Songs: Making it Work – Doug and the Slugs; Tonight I love you – the Latency. **

**Jake's POV:**

"_Making it work, takes a little longer; making it work, takes a little time_." I grinned foolishly as I made my way through the back door of the tiny house, singing along to the radio. My father gawked in disbelief as I passed him in the kitchen.

"Well, what's got you so excited, son?" he wheeled around to face me as I walked past him, waving my hands in the air. My fingertips nearly brushed the ceiling.

"Purging myself of my anger and my woes – or at least attempting to," I grinned maniacally, resting an elbow on the doorway. From this high up, my father almost looked like a small child – except no child I'd ever seen had stern creases lining and aging their face. He smiled up at me, which accentuated his wrinkled visage, and reminded me, "Don't you have somewhere to be this afternoon?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm getting there," I sighed and ran my hand through my shaggy raven-black hair, making a mental note to straighten it out before leaving.

"Well go on, hurry up and get ready," Billy's eyes twinkled as he added, "It'll sure be a sight to see you all gussied up."

I scowled and turned away from him, his laughs following me down the hallway to my matchbox sized room.

I stood on one of the rare clean spaces of my floor, surveying the clothes littered everywhere. Nothing in the piles would do; I'd have to brave my closet. A feat in itself just to open, the storage space was literally a danger zone. Random crap I'd accumulated over the years caused its depths to be nearly impossible to navigate, and the item I was searching for hadn't been used in at least two years.

I sighed hopped onto my bed – it creaked and sank dangerously low – and used it as a perch to find some bit of substantial floor space. I was in luck, there was about a two by two foot square right in front of the closet. I would be able to open it, at least.

Just as I'd stuck my head in and started chucking stuff out of the way, Rachel's voice interrupted my foraging. "Looking for something?" she asked, and I rolled my eyes. My ass was probably half out of my jeans, but my hands were a bit busy with fistfuls of junk to do anything about that. And why was she even home? Ever since Paul had imprinted on her after she'd come home from university, she'd been out every single day with him. "Jake, get your head out of that dump."

"Rachel, really, I realize I'm half-mooning you, but I'm kind of busy. If I don't find that suit I'm screwed," I grumbled, and she laughed. "What?" I asked, perhaps a bit too sharply.

"Jake, even if your suit was in there, it'd hardly be fit to wear today. Besides, you wouldn't even have fit into it."

"Well there goes my day," I dropped what I was holding and spun around, hiking my jeans up onto my hips.

"Your suit's right here," she smiled, her black eyes alight. She was holding my black suit, complete with black tie and white dress shirt, and it was clean. And ironed. And altered. She shrugged as she took in my expression of awe. "I saw the invitation, and I decided to make sure you looked at least presentable."

"Well, I – thanks Rach," I stuttered, using the route I'd taken to reach the closet to get back to the door and my sister. I took the suit from her, gave her a quick hug and shut the door.

"No problem," she said warmly before her footsteps padded away. I shook my head as I removed my jeans. People in love did strange, random, generous things.

I stopped in the washroom before heading out to the garage, and attempted to fix my hair. I even ran a brush through it. I eventually sighed and gave up – no matter how hard I tried to fix it, bits always stuck up or out at odd angles. Seeing my ensemble in the mirror, it was too easy to imagine that _I_ was the groom at today's event… _Jake, shut up! _I told myself hurriedly. _Must repress…_ This was going to be difficult.

When I got back into the kitchen, Rachel was gone, but my father was still there. He was at our miniscule dining table reading the paper. "Well, well, look at you," he whistled as he glanced up from the Entertainment section, and I raised an eyebrow. "No really, you look quite handsome."

"Thanks," I muttered gruffly, making for the front door.

"Tell Charlie I say hi," he called, and then muttered, "You have a nice time son."

Yeah, right. The only reason I was actually going to this stupid vamp love-fest was so I could see Bella one last time, and so she'd be able to see that I was happy – decently at least. It wasn't pure bliss, but that had evaded me a long time ago.

I headed out across the lawn to the garage, glad I finally had an excuse to use a car. I climbed in – it was a tight fit for me now – and started the engine, smiling as I heard its rumble. This car was something I had built, worked on till I was satisfied. It seemed I had to work on everything that came my way. Nothing was easy for me, nothing was a guarantee. But feeling sorry for myself wouldn't get me anywhere.

I punched the garage door opener and backed out carefully, avoiding the trees alongside the driveway. _Bella'd probably hit them all,_ I thought in spite of myself, instantly regretting it. Hot tears stung my eyes, threatening to spill over. I manfully shoved them back. I would not pick my girlfriend up crying.

The drive to her house was a fast and easy one, and thankfully no tears betrayed me as I pulled into her driveway. I was a man, God damn it, surely I could get through today without acting like a baby.

I loped up her front steps and promptly rapped on the door, tapping my foot expectantly. As I was about to knock again, the door opened and I almost fell on top of her mom. "Hi Jake. She'll be out in a sec. You look…well, you look nice."

"Thanks," I replied, and we spent the next few minutes in an awkward silence.

Finally she arrived in the doorway beside her mom, and my shoulders visibly relaxed. Even at over six feet tall, she was still stunning. Her short, jet black hair had been curled to frame her high cheekbones perfectly. Her skin was a lustrous light sienna shade, and her glossy lips shone in the light of the drizzly afternoon.

"Hi," she greeted me, and I just smiled and took her hand as a response.

"Have fun, you two," her mom remarked sarcastically. The woman at my side simply rolled her dark eyes.

"Yeah, 'cause a vamp wedding is my idea of fun," she muttered once we were both in my Rabbit, and I raised an eyebrow. "I hope you know that I'm only doing this for you and your sanity, Jake."

"Of course," I replied easily. That was my girl. Pain had touched us both so many times that by now even a mention of the disruption of our current slice of happiness had to be dealt with; we were both far too fragile to deal with anymore stakes through our hearts.

The little church they'd picked – or more accurately, Alice, Renee and Esme had picked, Bella would have had nothing to do with it – was an old, abandoned one just north of Forks – about a twenty minute drive for me, which we'd passed in silence, holding hands on the console in between the seats.

Though it was barely four, lights still twinkled in the forest surrounding the place, and I nearly gagged as I drove up to the front of the church. One of the bloodsuckers – the big, brawny one, Emmett I supposed – was standing on the bottom step of the white building, and he loped over to my door just as I was turning the car off.

"And so the freak show begins," I heard her remark as she got out of my car, taking care not to shut the train of her red dress in the door. I chuckled and opened the door, getting out quickly. With shock I realized I was at least a good inch taller than Emmett. I grinned in spite of myself.

"Park your car, sir?" The leech's yellow eyes sparkled as he held out a cold, dead hand waiting for my keys. I could just imagine him driving it into a river.

"Go ahead," I rolled my eyes and purposefully dropped the keys to my left, the wrong side for him to catch it. His hand reached out anyways and caught it, despite the humans around us.

"Nice try dog," he smirked and waved the keys in front of my face in a blur, even for my sight, "but I'm fast."

"Touché," I muttered, and went around the car to where she was waiting, and put my hand in hers. I wouldn't start fights with Bella's soon to be 'relatives' today, no matter how much I wanted to.

We went in and I nearly gagged again at the sight of the interior. It was ghastly, with flowers and ribbons everywhere. Bella would hate it. "Jake, ow," she murmured, and I realized I was squeezing her hand a little too hard, even for her. "Come on, let's go sit. This place reeks."

We took seats in the back by the door, far away from anything cold-skinned, yellow-eyed and stinky. With a jolt I heard my name being called. I turned around, and Seth came into my view.

"Hiya guys! Oh gee am I excited for this!" His sister and I could only glare at him. Damn his enthusiasm. He seemed to sense that we didn't appreciate his sentiment, and sat down timidly in the pew beside me.

I stared straight ahead at the overly done altar for a while, until Edward and the priest came into view and the music began. I grasped my girlfriend's hand tight and waited.

Soon enough I heard oohs and aahs from the surrounding pews, and turned my head a fraction in time to see Charlie guiding Bella cautiously down the aisle. My heart thudded against my rib cage dangerously. Beautiful as ever, she was blushing profusely as her father aided her in taking the long walk to her beau. I couldn't even smile, I was so overcome. And the _jealousy_! If I looked at Edward I would undoubtedly lunge. As it were, I would have been shaking uncontrollably if I hadn't been grasping her hand tightly in my own. Of if the damned empath hadn't been around.

I looked over at Seth to see a huge, ridiculous grin plastered on his face.

I didn't pay attention to the ceremony' it was cliché enough for me to guess the events anyway. I attempted to placate myself by staring at the girl beside me and running my thumb across her hand feverishly. _She_ as the reason I had come back. _She _was why I was now trying to end this chapter of my life by giving Bella some piece of mind, that she hadn't hurt me as much as she'd thought. After this, it was just her. Her and i. Two broken souls, held together roughly by each other. Relationships were difficult for the both of us, but we would suffer together. My best friend and would-be lover was now married to my natural enemy; her love had imprinted on her cousin. At least, _at least_ I didn't have to see Bella and Edward every day, and _hear_ their thoughts. _Her_ pain was worse than mine, I knew, but I would attempt to keep her as happy as I could, just as I knew she would try to do for me.

We weren't going to stay for the reception afterwards. I doubted I would be able to hold myself together if Edward offered to shake my hand or say thank you. I only hoped Bella had seen me, holding hands with my girlfriend.

Seth was staying, and before we left, I asked him to do something for me. "Seth," I grabbed his arm and whispered low in his ear, "Could you tell Bella…tell her I love her, and that I'm happy."

Before I could release my hold on his arm Seth grabbed me and swept me into a fierce hug. "Will do, bro."

The tears were threatening again. Good Lord I was acting like a girl today. "Let's run home," I began saying to her as we walked out, but a voice that pierced right through my heart stopped me dead in my tracks.

"Jake! Jake, wait!" I scrunched my eyes up tight, wishing I was invisible. Something small hugged me around the waist from behind, the whisper of silk echoing everywhere. "Oh I'm so glad you came, Jake! Won't you stay?" No I would not stay. She hadn't. That's it, I was running. It was all I knew. But it was either that or go murder her – I cringed – _husband_.

"No," I spoke through my teeth, my posture tense. The hand holding my girlfriend's began to shake. "No Bella. Goodbye. Go talk to Seth." I didn't turn around to tear her weak arms off of me, and I didn't look back. I just ran, _her_ hand in mine.

Once we were safely far away enough from the wedding party, I stripped down fully and tied my clothes in a bundle, which I attached to my ankle. She had seen me naked plenty of times, and I her. We'd gotten past the awkwardness once the entire pack had realized it was just something inevitable.

"Jake?" she asked, and I turned around, commanding myself to look at her face only. She thrust her clothes at me and asked, "Could you…put those in with yours? I'm going to have to start doing that."

"Sure, hon," I replied, taking the rolled up dress. I tucked it in with my suit and let the transformation take over my body. A shiver ran up my spine, running all the way down to my toes and fingers. When it was over, I was no longer human. Neither was she. We'd both phased, and the only thing left to do now was run. I heard no other mental voices except hers.

_Where to? _She asked, excited for the run to come.

_Lake Crescent_," I responded, sensing that she wanted to race there.

_Can we please? _

_Sure we can_.

I barked out a laugh and she echoed me, her grey form dancing around the trees in anticipation of our race. As we laughed I realized something: nothing could ever fix our broken hearts completely, but we would try our best to be each other's comfort.

_I promise I will Jake,_ her big dark eyes looked me square in my own, and she rested a paw on mine.

I nodded my head once, then just started running. Our thoughts became incoherent as adrenaline coursed through us both; the challenge set in front of us the only thing that mattered.

My paws felt at home raking through the dirt of the forest ground; finally I got to tear something up that wasn't capable of emotion. We reached the forest by the large lake in minutes, both of us breathing heavily.

_Tie?_ She lolled her tongue out and raised an ear, clearly being sarcastic. She'd thought she'd won.

_Sure, why not,_ I showed my teeth in a large grin and plopped down by a broken fir.

_Not fair Jake; I totally won!_ Her indignation was only in jest, and I barked another laugh into the night. It felt good to laugh after today… Had I been too harsh with Bella?

_Just forget about her Jake; I know it's hard, but you have to at least try to…_ Her mental voice was sympathetic, and underneath her spoken thoughts there lay a deep pain, repressed by years of ignorance and trying to forget. She was asking me to do the same.

"I can't," I answered her a minute later as I tugged my pants up to my waist. They dropped uselessly down to my hips. Tears stung at my eyes again, and this time I let them fall, leaving hot trails down my cheeks.

She phased soon after and dragged her dress out of the pile of clothing, tugging it over her head quickly. "Oh Jake," she whispered, "I see now…how hard this really has been for you. We're so alike, aren't we?"

"Don't you start crying too," I wiped at my eyes fiercely, but it did no good. They just kept coming. I started sobbing, and she pulled me over to the broken tree, making me sit down on the ground beside it. She sat beside me, wrapping her arms around my large frame. Tears streaked down her face all the same.

"Oh what the hell," she answered my incredulous look, "I've kept it in for much too long now."

"Oh honey," I whispered, and pulled her chin up so I could kiss her. Kissing her was like a release: freedom from the pain and hurt of reality, that which had murdered both our souls. I could taste the hot sting of salty tears from both of us in my mouth as my tongue moved against hers, and I chuckled between kisses. "We're wrecks," I remarked, pulling her closer to me.

I spent the rest of the night crying in the arms of Leah Clearwater, my fellow sufferer, the only one who really understood.

**Okay, so did I do well? I think this is my…second time writing Jake?? I hope it was satisfactory. Please review! And keep in mind, this is a companion piece to Mr. and Mrs. Cullen!!!**

**- Reese**


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